Tag Archives: tight buffer indoor/outdoor cable

Which Tight Buffered Fiber Distribution Cable Fits Your Application?

Optical fibers with fiber counts ranging from 2 to 144 counts or more are usually coated together inside a single strand of fiber optic cable for better protection and cabling. Multi-fiber optic cables are usually required to pass a lot of distribution points. And each individual optical fiber should connect only one specific optical interface via splicing or terminating by connectors. Thus, fiber optic cables used for distribution should be durable and easy to be terminated. Tight buffered fiber distribution cables, which meet these demands, are widely used in today’s indoor and outdoor applications, like data center and FTTH projects. This post will introduce tight buffered fiber distribution cables.

tight buffered fiber cable

The Beauty of 900um Tight Buffered Fibers

Most of tight buffered fiber distribution cables are designed with 900um tight buffered fibers. This is decided by its applications. As the above mentioned, the distribution cable should be durable and easy to be terminated. The following picture shows the difference between 250um bare fiber and 900um tight buffered fiber. They are alike, but the tight buffered fiber has an additional buffer layer. Compared with bare fibers, 900um tight buffered fibers can provide better protection for the fiber cores. 900um tight buffered fibers are easy to be stripped for splicing and termination. In addition, tight buffered fiber cables are usually small in package and flexible during cabling. These are the main reasons why a lot of fiber optic distribution cables use tight buffered design.

250um vs 950um

Choose Tight Buffered Distribution Fiber Cables According to Applications

900nm tight buffered distribution fiber cables also come in a variety of types. Tight buffered distribution fiber cables used for different environments and applications might have different fiber types, outer jackets and cable structures. The following will introduce several tight buffered distribution fiber cables for your reference.

unitized distribution fiber cable
Indoor Tight Buffered Distribution Fiber Cable

Tight buffered distribution fiber cables used for indoor applications are usually used for intra building backbones and routing between telecommunication rooms. Large tight buffered fiber cable with fiber counts more than 36 fibers generally has “sub-unit” (unitized) design (shown in the above). While smaller tight buffered distribution cables, with fiber counts of 6, 12 or 24, usually have “single-jacket” (non-unitized) designs, which are more flexible in cabling and have much smaller packages and cost advantages. The lower count tight buffered distribution fiber cables with color coded 12 fibers and 24 fibers are very popular. The following picture shows a 24-fiber indoor tight buffered distribution fiber cable with single-jacket design.

24-fiber tight buffered fiber cable

During practical use, these 6, 12 or 24-fiber indoor tight buffered distribution fiber cables can be spliced with other fibers or be terminated with fiber optic connectors. And they can be made into multi-fiber optic pigtails or fiber patch cable after terminated with fiber optic connector on one end or two end. The color coded fibers can also ease fiber cabling.

Indoor/Outdoor Armored Tight Buffered Distribtight buffered fiber terminationution Fiber Cable

Although tight buffered distribution fiber cables are usually used for indoor applications, there is still a place for them in outdoor applications after added with a layer of metal armored tube inside the cable. Armored fiber cables are durable, rodent-proof, water proof and can be directly buried underground during installation, which saves a lot of time and money.

Armored tight buffered distribution fiber cable

Here we strongly recommend a low fiber count armored tight buffered distribution fiber cable which can be used for both indoor and outdoor applications (show in the above picture). This low fiber count armored tight buffered cable has a single-jacket design with a steel armored tape inside the cable. It can be used for both backbone cabling and horizontal cabling in indoor environments. And it can also be used for direct buried applications and aerial application in outdoor environments.

FS.COM Same Day Shipping Tight Buffered Distribution Fiber Cables Solution

During the purchasing of fiber optic cables, one of the most important thing is the shipment of fiber cables. Many bulk fiber cables are transmitted via shipping, which might take a long time. Now FS.COM customers in the USA can enjoy same day shipping for tight buffered distribution fiber cables for both indoor and outdoor applications. Details are shown in the following table. Kindly contact sales@fs.com for more details, if you are interested.

Part No. Description
31909 12 Fibers OM3 Plenum, FRP Strength Member, Non-unitized, Tight-Buffered Distribution Indoor Fiber Optical Cable GJPFJV
31922 12 Fibers OM4 Plenum, FRP Strength Member, Non-unitized, Tight-Buffered Distribution Indoor Fiber Optical Cable GJPFJV
31866 24 Fibers OM4 Riser, FRP Strength Member, Non-unitized, Tight-Buffered Distribution Indoor Fiber Optical Cable GJPFJV
51308 24 Fibers OS2, LSZH, Single-Armored Double-Jacket, Tight-Buffered Distribution Waterproof Indoor/Outdoor Cable GJFZY53

Related Article: Tight-Buffered Fiber Distribution Cable for Indoor and Outdoor Use

Lower FTTH Cost and Increase Reliability With Tight Buffer Indoor/Outdoor Cable

FTTH (Fiber to the Home) network connects a large number of end users to a central point known as an access node to provide the application and services of high speed. The links between end users and access node are achieved largely by fiber optic cables. Loose buffer cables and tight buffer cables are commonly used to transmit signals with high speed, which are capable of surviving outdoor environment or indoor environment. However, to accomplish the whole transmission link, loose buffer cables for outdoor application should be connected with the tight buffer cables for indoor application. The splicing and termination of these fiber optic cables come as one of the largest link items in a FTTH system installation budget.

Is There A Better FTTH Cable Solution?

Is there a cost-effective and time-saving solution by using a single type of cable that can survive both indoor and outdoor environment in FTTH network? The answer is YES. Tight buffer indoor/outdoor cable is such a cable. It is a specially designed tight buffer cable which can answer the market call for a single type cable surviving both indoor and outdoor environment. To understand why it is a better choice for FTTH installation, the construction and comparison of loose tube cable and tight buffer cable will be introduced firstly.

Loose Buffer VS Tight Buffer

The “buffer” previously mentioned in “loose buffered” and “tight buffer” is actually a basic component of fiber optic cable and the first layer used to define the type of cable construction. A typical fiber optic cable consists of the optical fiber, buffer, strength members and an outer protective jacket (as showed in the following picture). The buffer literally is used to provide protection and some tensile strength, which are useful when pulling the cable to install it or when it must hang between two suspension points.

cable structure

Loose buffer cable consists of a buffer layer that has an inner diameter much larger than the diameter of the fiber (showed in the following picture). Thus, the cable will be subject to temperature extremes that cause expansion or contraction. That’s why loose buffered cable are usually used outdoor. The loose buffer cables designed for FTTH outdoor application are usually loose-tube gel-filled cables (LTGF cable). This type of cable is filled with a gel that displaces or blocks water and prevents it from penetrating or getting into the cable.

loose buffer cable

Tight buffer cable using a buffer attached to the fiber coating is generally smaller in diameter than loose buffer cable (showed in the following picture). The minimum bend radius of a tight buffer cable is typically smaller than a comparable loose buffer cable. Thus tight buffer cable is usually used in indoor application.

tight buffer

Tight buffered indoor/outdoor cable with properly designed and manufactured can meet both indoor and outdoor application requirements. It?combines the design requirements of traditional indoor cable and adds moisture protection and sunlight-resistant function to meet the standards for outdoor use. Tight buffered indoor/outdoor cable?also meets one or more of the code requirements for flame-spread resistance and smoke generation.

A Better Choice for FTTH Cable Solution

The structure and performance advantages of tight buffer indoor/outdoor cable have been introduced above. How about the other advantages? The following will explain why tight buffered indoor/outdoor cable is a better FTTH cable solution from the aspects of cost and reliability.

Cost

Using the traditional choice of LTGF cables as the outdoor cable, there would be a conversion from one fiber type from another type, which includes prep work on the fiber, the need for splice tray, the routing of fibers in the tray, and other similar detail. Before termination and splicing, the gel of LTGF cable must be cleaned and the breakout point of the main cable must be blocked by some method to prevent oozing of the cable gel. In addition, this cable type must normally be terminated or spliced close to the cable entryway of a building to switch to indoor cable, as it generally incompatible with indoor fiber codes. This time consuming and labor intensive process adds hidden costs to install the LTGF cables.

However, using only tight buffer indoor/outdoor cable for FTTH is much more convenient and cost-effective. A tight-buffered indoor/outdoor cable can be used throughout the link, requiring no transitions at the building entryway. Tight buffer indoor/outdoor cable requires less care to avoid damaging fibers when stripping back the cable. The termination and splicing of these cables are easier than that of LTGF cables.

Reliability

An important reason why choose tight-buffered indoor/outdoor cable for FTTH cable installation is the reliability of the overall system. Splicing are the weakest point in a FTTH network. With splicing, the bare fiber ends are open to dust, dirt, water, vapor, and handing which might reduce the fiber strength and increase brittleness. Choosing loose tube outdoor cable for FTTH, there will be splices after the conversion from one cable type to another type. The splices inside a building may be held in a cabinet that is open to the air, which might decrease the reliability of the FTTH network. Using the tight buffer indoor/outdoor cable could eliminate splicing and improve the installation reliability greatly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the benefits of tight buffer indoor/outdoor cable are clear. The installer can run a single cable type and remove a transition point between the outside plant and the inside plant, which decrease FTTH installation cost and time effectively. At the same time, the reliability of the overall FTTH network can be increased greatly.

Source: http://www.fs.com/blog/lower-ftth-cost-and-increase-reliability-with-tight-buffer-indooroutdoor-cable.html